


what's a god to a non-believer

by daltonacademyfightclub



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Gratuitous Hinting at a Threesome, Introspection, M/M, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-11
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2018-05-01 02:35:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5188904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daltonacademyfightclub/pseuds/daltonacademyfightclub
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the end of the day, there are more important things than shiny belts. (A fond memory from Roman's point of view.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	what's a god to a non-believer

It had never been Roman’s dream to join the annals of wrestling history. In all honesty, it was practically the opposite: acutely aware that his family and those he considered practically family were embedded in the industry, he’d stayed away as long as possible. Sure, he’d been to events and gone backstage (his father was Sika, half of the Wild Samoans, after all) but he didn’t see the appeal.

It was loud. He was quiet. It was raunchy. He was reserved. Everything professional wrestling was, Roman tended to avoid.

So how did he end up with two separate chances at the most prestigious title in the business? Not of his own volition.

One of Roman’s most vivid memories was of a car ride that he, Dean, and Seth took way back in the day. Driving down from Fairfax to Charleston didn’t take too long, which gave them plenty of time to bullshit whenever they pulled over for a break.

“Let’s stop over here, man,” Seth asked, gesturing at a passing sign advertising a rest stop a couple of miles ahead. “Just for ten minutes.”

Roman sighed like he was going to start bellyaching but acquiesced. It was probably best that he took his mind off the road, if only for a short time. He pulled off the road, passing Dean his wallet since he knew the man would be tearing off to the vending machines for a candy bar. Seth opted to stay in the car but move to the backseat in Dean’s absence, stretching his legs out across the whole way.

“Hey, Ro?”

“Yeah?” Roman took off his seatbelt and turned around to look at one of his newest family members. “Whassup?”

“D’you ever feel like you’re, y’know, _meant_ for something great?” Seth asked, looking up at the roof of the car. “Like, greater than this.”

“What could be greater than hanging with my boys?” Roman countered with a chuckle. “You mean a singles title ‘round your waist?”

“Yeah,” Seth admitted, his eyes looking a little dreamy as Roman noted the wistful tone in his voice. “Can you imagine being the top dog, world heavyweight champion, all that jazz? You’re carrying that belt more preciously than you’d carry your firstborn -”

“Well, I don’t know about _that_ ,” Roman replied, thinking of his little Joelle back home. Wherever ‘home’ was right now, anyway. “That seems a little excessive.”

“I mean for me.” Seth sat up in the backseat as Dean came back with a Snickers for himself and a Twix for Roman, delighted for the sugar high in the near future. “I’d love to have everybody screaming my name.”

“Musta walked in on something good,” Dean interjected, chucking the Twix into Roman’s general vicinity and going to town on getting his chocolate out. “What’re we talking about?”

“Sethie-boy here is lusting after a singles title,” Roman summarized with his hand between the seats to dig out the Twix. “Can’t say I blame him, but I’m definitely not as hyped up as he apparently is.”

“I can see the appeal,” Dean said, taking a rather vicious bite. At first it was a little startling, but Roman quickly got used to Dean’s violent personality. Part of the reason they did so well in the ring was because he was always on the attack, ready to go when Roman sicced him on the opposite side. “Lookin’ for the Big Kahuna too, prob’ly, huh?”

“You know it, man,” Seth replied with a grin. Roman couldn’t help but smile back. “Go big or go home, that’s what they all say, right?”

“Maybe not when they’re going home with you,” Dean teased, laughing to the point where some chocolate nearly dribbled out of the side of his mouth when Seth smacked him upside the head. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Fuck!”

“Better be,” Seth warned with a huff, the air from his mouth puffing up a little bit of the blond streak in his hair. “Otherwise somebody’s SOL when we get to the hotel tonight.”

“Shit outta luck,” Roman clarified in case Dean didn’t get the hint. “That would be nice for my sleep pattern if y’all actually considered it.” The two of them had been fucking since they got out of developmental, finally realizing that the tension was sexual in nature. Roman didn’t mind, to be honest. In fact, it reminded him a little bit about something he’d heard about Spartans sending lovers out in battalions to fight together since they wouldn’t let each other die. Whether or not that was true, the sentiment wasn’t lost on him.

“You’re always welcome to join the party, hot stuff,” Dean said lecherously from the backseat, almost leering toward the front. “Freebird rule can apply in the bedroom.”

“If someone gets laid, we all get laid?” Seth said, confused.

“Somethin’ like that.”

“I’ll pass,” Roman replied with a smile, stretching out his arms. “You two wanna make some room for me in the back?”

The two of them scooted to the right, leaving Seth in the middle to throw his arms around both of them when Roman got situated. “Feels good, man,” Dean murmured, tucking his head more into the crook of Seth’s neck. “My head’s not all fuzzy now.”

“Good,” Roman replied earnestly. Dean was always better off when he was on the right side of lucid.

The three of them sat in silence for a minute or so, Roman feeling the rise and fall of Seth’s shoulders as he adjusted to both make room for himself to breathe and have Dean stay comfortable. Roman didn’t know how he got so lucky to have these two as his tag partners, much less his adopted brothers. Sure, unlikely partnerships were fun to watch and see where they go next, but The Shield was a well-oiled machine and at the end of the day, those were the teams people remembered.

They all completed each other in different ways; three points of the same triangle. Seth was loud, a little overambitious but always quick to hype everyone up. Roman was quiet. Dean was raunchy, radical in the ring with no regard for anything but what furthered he and his brothers’ goals. Roman was reserved. Everything professional wrestling was, Roman found in Seth and Dean and couldn’t get enough.

“I’m serious, though,” Seth wondered aloud, looking between them all for validation. “You think I’d look good with the world heavyweight title?”

“I think you’d look good with anything,” Dean said into Seth’s skin.

“Just don’t forget the little people when you hit the big time, ‘right?” Roman asked with a smile. “I won’t forget you when I beat you to it.”

“Hey now,” Seth said, lifting an eyebrow in a way that reminded Roman so much of his cousin. “We’ll see who gets their grubby little mitts on the strap first and we’ll take it from there.”

“Fair enough,” Roman agreed, too pleased with his current situation to start shit. Besides, at the end of the day, he knew he didn’t _really_ want the championship at that moment. Of course that was his end goal (who wasn’t?) but there was time to linger in the upper midcard before things got interesting.

As long as he had his family at the end of the day, that’s all he needed.

(Believe that.)

**Author's Note:**

> This came to me today when I was thinking about Roman's reaction to being offered the WHC in exchange for Authority allegiance at the beginning of the most recent Raw (November 9, 2015). With how heavily the family angle is played with Roman (both with his daughter and heritage), I can only imagine how intricately the man thinks of familial relationships.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at daltonacademyfightclub!


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